The Land of TERA

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When life gives you frogs, make frog balloons.

By Nick Kolan

TERA is one of our most hotly anticipated MMOs here at IGN. With a colorful art style, extremely impressive visuals, and an action-based combat system where your positioning relative to your enemy truly counts, TERA is impressive on all fronts. En Masse Entertainment, the North American publisher of the Bluehole Studios game, have given us the low-down (that's slang for "information", or "soulful feeling of early blues" depending on the context) on the world of TERA, and we will dispense with that soulful feeling of early blues forthwith.

The world of TERA.

Looking at the map above, you can see two landmasses – Shara and Arun – with the Island of Dawn in the middle. "Shara and Arun are not just continents; they are the sleeping forms of two great titans," Executive Producer at En Masse, Brian Knox, tells us. "The races that live on each, as well as the gods they worship, were dreamed into existence long ago by these fantastic beings." The Island of Dawn, meanwhile, rose up from the sea far later under very mysterious circumstances.

It is on this island that players begin their journey. "Almost immediately, characters are exposed to creatures they'll see in other parts of the world," Knox tells us, "but which are still unique and special to the setting. From giant, ambulatory trees called ghilliedhus to creatures as seemingly innocuous as pigs." At GDC earlier this year we got a chance to mess around on the Island of Dawn for a little while, and we discovered that in TERA, trees and pigs are total jerks. We also discovered that for all the jerkiness of the local fauna, the landscape they inhabit is exceptionally beautiful. In the video above you'll see a lot of ruins, a campsite, and a giant, floating tree with things (probably magical!) orbiting the trunk. The real treats are, however, in the background. The entire island seems to be encircled by waterfalls that can be seen from all over the landmass. Keep an eye out for the wrecked pirate ship balanced precariously on the water's precipice. We really, really hope we get to go there, though considering the whole "raging currents" thing, it is unlikely.

Just north of the Island of Dawn, a brown line cuts a swath through the two continents. According to Knox: "Long ago, the "children" of Arun and Shara warred against themselves. These powerful gods used powers and weapons unmatched before or since—and one of them went completely out of control." It took the sacrifice of a god known as Balder to cease the fighting, and it was his selfless act that heralded the "Age of Mortals," which is the period in which the game takes place. Spiritwood, showcased in the video above, is the zone players enter shortly after the Island of Dawn. It is much darker, with torches lighting the path, and stony constructs dangling from tree branches. It is home to a location known as Crescentia, which plays a central role in a series of quests. "The Devan bandits have pretty much taken over," Knox explains, "and everyone has lost something…or someone." Devas – the race of the invading bandits – look similar to the Castanics (one of the playable races) though, as Knox tells us, "They may look like Castanics, but the two peoples parted ways long ago." This final video above displays Deadwood Bog. "That area's part of a zone known as the Tuwangi Mire," says Knox, "a place inhabited by strange humanoids of the same name. Seemingly without culture or resources, the Tuwangis have somehow adapted "frogs" into any number of uses." At least one of the uses includes makeshift balloons. You know, in case you need a frog balloon. Although this zone isn't as visually striking as the Island of Dawn, pausing the video while one of the totem poles is on display shows just how detailed the art really gets.

The geography has gameplay applications, too. Due to the nature of the action-based combat, using objects in the world opens up strategic options. "We've put together a world where ducking behind a rock is a viable way to avoid being hit by an attack." Knox says. "At the same time, climbing up on top of a stone idol might get you out of reach of a lot of mobs, but also out of range for your own attacks"

Much of the world still remains a mystery, of course. The large zone in the northern part of Arun, for example, is larger than any other on the map, and clearly borders the big brown scratch. We asked about this area: "Like any classic adventure story, there's always a little bit more to learn in TERA than can happen in just one release…. hypothetically speaking, of course." Sounds like post-launch content to us.